Happy birthday Boston: Quirky facts you may not know

Boston was settled on Sept. 17, 1630. Here are facts about Boston you may not know.

Candlepin bowling was invented in Boston in 1880.

The largest art theft in U.S. history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when 12 paintings collectively worth $100 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by two thieves posing as police officers.

In 1822, the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston."

The Fleet Center (now known as TD Garden) was built a mere 9 inches from the Boston Garden, so the classic structure had to be demolished brick-by-brick.

On June 1, 1660, Mary Dyer was hanged on Boston Common for repeatedly defying a law banning Quakers from the colony. She is considered the last religious martyr in North America.

The most snow -- 27.5 inches -- fell in Boston on February 17 and 18, 2003.

The city government's Office of Neighborhood Services has officially designated 23 neighborhoods in Boston.

While the Library of Congress contains the most volumes in the country (29,550,000), Harvard University is second with more than 15,000,000 and the Boston Public Library is third with more than 14,000,000.

The South End Historic District is the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the United States.

People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8% of the population.

On top of a building on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain is a weather vane with a whale on it. The building was once the headquarters of Greenpeace, whose environmental slogan "Save the whales" was known worldwide.

Boston was originally named Shawmut by the local Native Americans. It was founded on September 17, 1630 and named after Boston, England, a town in Lincolnshire from which several prominent colonists originated.

The oldest church in Boston is First Church in Boston, founded in 1630.

Beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre mill pond that later became the Haymarket Square area.

The phrase “Banned in Boston” comes from the late 19th-early 20th century period when City officials took it upon themselves to "ban" anything that they found to be salacious or offensive. Theatrical shows were run out of town, books confiscated, and motion pictures were prevented from being shown.

The 60 story John Hancock Tower contains 13 acres of glass.

After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront.

Boston Harbor contains a considerable number of islands, 34 of which are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Phillip Brooks, the 9th Rector of Trinity Church, wrote the famous Christmas Carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" after visiting the Holy Land.

At 90 feet below the surface, the Ted Williams Tunnel is the deepest tunnel in North America.

Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States.

The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston Harbor annually on December 16th.

The signs along the Massachusetts Turnpike reading "x miles to Boston" refer to the distance from that point to the golden dome of the State House.

East Boston High was used as the set for the show "Boston Public."

The colored lights on top of the old Hancock building tell the weather: "Solid blue, clear view," "Flashing blue, clouds due," "Solid red, rain ahead," and "Flashing red, snow instead" (during the summer, flashing red means the Red Sox game is rained out).

F.A.O. Schwartz toy store displayed the world’s largest Teddy Bear at its entrance on Boylston Street. The Bear weighs 6,112 pounds, stands 12 feet tall and is 8 feet wide. The bear now resides at the Floating Hospital for Children.

The U.S.S. Constitution, known as 'Old Ironsides', is the oldest fully commissioned vessel in the U.S. Navy and permanently berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The Mather School was founded in Dorchester in 1639. It is the first public elementary school in America.

13% of the population commutes by foot, making it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country of the major American cities.

Situated near the Atlantic Ocean, Boston is the only state capital in the contiguous United States with an ocean coastline.

Boston built the first subway system in the United States in 1897.

The hottest day in Boston’s recorded history was on July 4th, 1911 when the temperature reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coldest day in Boston’s recorded history was on February 9th, 1934 when the temperature dropped to -18 degrees Fahrenheit.

The giant milk bottle on display at the Children's Museum in Boston would hold 50,000 gallons of milk and 8,620 gallons of cream.

"Spenser: For Hire" aired from 1985-1988. A mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, played by Robert Uhrich (right), was a private investigator in Boston.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Boston’s Emerald Necklace is a six-mile stretch of green parkland that includes the Boston Common, Public Garden, Franklin Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arboretum, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Back Bay Fens, Riverway and Olmstead Park.

The official state dessert of Massachusetts is the Boston cream pie.

On January 15, 1919, the Boston Molasses Disaster occurred in the North End. Twenty-one people were killed and another 150 injured as hot molasses crushed, asphyxiated, and cooked many of the victims to death. It took over six months to remove the molasses from the cobblestone streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. Boston Harbor ran brown through the summer.

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is the oldest original Major League Baseball Park still in use.

Boston has an area of 89.6 square miles.

James Michael Curley was the first mayor of Boston to have an automobile. The plate number was "576" - the number of letters in "James Michael Curley." The mayor of Boston's official car still uses the same number on its plate.

The Boston University Bridge on Commonwealth Avenue is one of the only places in the world where a boat can sail under a train passing under a car driving under an airplane.

Boston was settled on Sept. 17, 1630. Here are facts about Boston you may not know.

Candlepin bowling was invented in Boston in 1880.

The largest art theft in U.S. history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when 12 paintings collectively worth $100 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by two thieves posing as police officers.

In 1822, the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston."

The Fleet Center (now known as TD Garden) was built a mere 9 inches from the Boston Garden, so the classic structure had to be demolished brick-by-brick.

On June 1, 1660, Mary Dyer was hanged on Boston Common for repeatedly defying a law banning Quakers from the colony. She is considered the last religious martyr in North America.

The most snow -- 27.5 inches -- fell in Boston on February 17 and 18, 2003.

The city government's Office of Neighborhood Services has officially designated 23 neighborhoods in Boston.

While the Library of Congress contains the most volumes in the country (29,550,000), Harvard University is second with more than 15,000,000 and the Boston Public Library is third with more than 14,000,000.

The South End Historic District is the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the United States.

People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8% of the population.

On top of a building on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain is a weather vane with a whale on it. The building was once the headquarters of Greenpeace, whose environmental slogan "Save the whales" was known worldwide.

Boston was originally named Shawmut by the local Native Americans. It was founded on September 17, 1630 and named after Boston, England, a town in Lincolnshire from which several prominent colonists originated.

The oldest church in Boston is First Church in Boston, founded in 1630.

Beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre mill pond that later became the Haymarket Square area.

The phrase “Banned in Boston” comes from the late 19th-early 20th century period when City officials took it upon themselves to "ban" anything that they found to be salacious or offensive. Theatrical shows were run out of town, books confiscated, and motion pictures were prevented from being shown.

The 60 story John Hancock Tower contains 13 acres of glass.

After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront.

Boston Harbor contains a considerable number of islands, 34 of which are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Phillip Brooks, the 9th Rector of Trinity Church, wrote the famous Christmas Carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" after visiting the Holy Land.

At 90 feet below the surface, the Ted Williams Tunnel is the deepest tunnel in North America.

Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States.

The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston Harbor annually on December 16th.

The signs along the Massachusetts Turnpike reading "x miles to Boston" refer to the distance from that point to the golden dome of the State House.

East Boston High was used as the set for the show "Boston Public."

The colored lights on top of the old Hancock building tell the weather: "Solid blue, clear view," "Flashing blue, clouds due," "Solid red, rain ahead," and "Flashing red, snow instead" (during the summer, flashing red means the Red Sox game is rained out).

F.A.O. Schwartz toy store displayed the world’s largest Teddy Bear at its entrance on Boylston Street. The Bear weighs 6,112 pounds, stands 12 feet tall and is 8 feet wide. The bear now resides at the Floating Hospital for Children.

The U.S.S. Constitution, known as 'Old Ironsides', is the oldest fully commissioned vessel in the U.S. Navy and permanently berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The Mather School was founded in Dorchester in 1639. It is the first public elementary school in America.

13% of the population commutes by foot, making it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country of the major American cities.

Situated near the Atlantic Ocean, Boston is the only state capital in the contiguous United States with an ocean coastline.

Boston built the first subway system in the United States in 1897.

The hottest day in Boston’s recorded history was on July 4th, 1911 when the temperature reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coldest day in Boston’s recorded history was on February 9th, 1934 when the temperature dropped to -18 degrees Fahrenheit.

The giant milk bottle on display at the Children's Museum in Boston would hold 50,000 gallons of milk and 8,620 gallons of cream.

"Spenser: For Hire" aired from 1985-1988. A mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, played by Robert Uhrich (right), was a private investigator in Boston.

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Boston’s Emerald Necklace is a six-mile stretch of green parkland that includes the Boston Common, Public Garden, Franklin Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arboretum, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Back Bay Fens, Riverway and Olmstead Park.

The official state dessert of Massachusetts is the Boston cream pie.

On January 15, 1919, the Boston Molasses Disaster occurred in the North End. Twenty-one people were killed and another 150 injured as hot molasses crushed, asphyxiated, and cooked many of the victims to death. It took over six months to remove the molasses from the cobblestone streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. Boston Harbor ran brown through the summer.

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is the oldest original Major League Baseball Park still in use.

Boston has an area of 89.6 square miles.

James Michael Curley was the first mayor of Boston to have an automobile. The plate number was "576" - the number of letters in "James Michael Curley." The mayor of Boston's official car still uses the same number on its plate.

The Boston University Bridge on Commonwealth Avenue is one of the only places in the world where a boat can sail under a train passing under a car driving under an airplane.

Happy birthday Boston: Quirky facts you may not know

Updated: 10:37 AM EDT Sep 17, 2015

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From the city of Boston and other sources. here are facts about Boston you may not know.